Wednesday, September 9, 2009

These cupcakes are my entry to Cupcake Hero::September. Upon discovering that banana was the theme, my imagination overflowed with possibilities. The idea to combine gooey caramelized bananas with a creamy yet crunchy crème brulee frosting stuck, and I simply had to pursue it.

I entered the kitchen eager to bring this concept to life...and emerged humbled and exhausted a short *cough* 4 hours later. There were hiccups aplenty (who knew bananas could turn such an ugly gray color?) and moments of panic (when the frosting started melting). But so what if this was no speedy, picture-perfect confection? I learned from each mistake, conquered swiss meringue buttercream (finally!), and had fun in between. My coworkers gobbled these up, one even dubbing them “a party in my mouth"! Please find the recipe after the jump with my notes so no one will repeat my mistakes.

SMBC Avalanche: so yummy but not so pretty

Are you still with me? Cause I’d love to get to know you better if you are. One of the reasons I started this blog was to connect with others who share a passion for food. To start off, I'm curious if you find posts about kitchen "flops" interesting/informative or off-putting? Have your own failed attempts shaped you into a better cook or baker over time? For other bloggers out there, do you ever find the pressure to make not only tasty but attractive dishes getting in the way of simply enjoying the food? Penny for your thoughts =).

Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and mix in well. Add molasses and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Alternately beat in dry ingredients and milks.

In a separate (completely grease-free) bowl, beat the egg white with a pinch of salt until stiff but not dry. Gently fold whites into batter.

Spoon batter into cupcake papers (I like to use my large cookie scoop for this), filling cups about 2/3 full. Rap the pan against the counter once to get rid of any air bubbles. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Cut a cone out of each cupcake. (You won't be needing the tops anymore so feel free to nom on them. You deserve it, cupcaking is hard work!) Spoon in 1-2 pieces of the caramelized banana filling into each cupcake, then spread or pipe buttercream on top.

Sprinkle sugar over the frosting and caramelize with a creme brulee torch. (Be careful to hold the torch no closer or longer than necessary, to avoid melting the buttercream.) Top cupcakes with a piece of caramelized banana each if you want folks to know what's inside (BUT you gotta chill the cupcakes at least 30 minutes after torching OR all that precious buttercream will avalanche, as pictured above). Or just let it be a delicious surprise =D.

Melt butter in medium size nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the melted butter, then add the bananas in a single layer on top of the sugar. Cook bananas until light to golden brown underneath, about 4-5 minutes (you can lift with a spatula to peak). Be careful not to overcook or burn them (if you smell them browning, or see color in the pan, flip them right away). Sprinkle rum, if using, over the bananas. When cooking with alcohol, there is always the chance of it catching on fire, so be very careful when adding the rum. Gently flip bananas over to brown the other side, turning heat down to medium. The second side will brown in about one minute.

Transfer to a plate that has been coated with oil or cooking spray (otherwise they may stick) and set aside. Soak pan in hot water to make cleaning easier later on. Or you can fill it with water and reheat it over medium heat to dissolve any stubborn bits.

Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream

XIAOLU'S NOTE: My buttercream remained soupy even after 8+ minutes of beating. I guessed that my beater blade, the temperature, or the amount of butter was the problem. So I chilled the mixer bowl for 10 minutes, switched to the paddle attachment, and added 3 more tablespoons of cold butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. The buttercream came together in under 3 minutes of mixing this time, at which point I may have let out a celebratory yelp.

My first successful swiss meringue buttercream coming togetherIt looks chunky here but it smoothed out after more beating

Combine sugar, egg whites, and salt in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees). Turn off the stove and move the bowl to your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled (this is important), about 7 minutes total.

Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition (about 10 seconds between each addition). Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, at least 3 minutes. (You'll hear a distinct slapping sound and visibly see the buttercream go from soupy to cohesive when it becomes SMBC.) Reduce speed to low, add the vanilla, and continue beating 1 minute to incorporate the extract and reduce air bubbles.

Your cupcakes look amazing! It's hard to pick my favorite component, since I love condensed milk, caramelized bananas, and brown sugar Swiss meringue buttercream equally.Regarding posts about failed attempts--I find them very informative. They can put your mind at ease too, especially if you've experienced the same type of troubles. Nice to know that there are others out there who aren't Martha Stewart perfect! We're human, after all :) I admit that there are plenty of times when I make something that doesn't turn out as tasty or pretty as I wanted, and I hesitate to blog about it or take pictures because I am too embarrassed. But...I am getting over my insecurities and plan to post everything, the good AND the bad!

Have your own failed attempts shaped you into a better cook or baker over time? Absolutely. I can't stand for a dish to get the better of me so I'll keep playing until I get it right! :)

For other bloggers out there, do you ever find the pressure to make not only tasty but attractive dishes getting in the way of simply enjoying the food? Sometimes. I have days that I will make a fantastic dish but just can't get good photos so get bummed out.

Dorothy - I've definitely felt reassured when I google a problem I have and find that others have been in the same boat. Your blog looks great so far and I look forward to seeing/reading about all your food adventures, perfect or not.

Kimberly - I'm glad to know other people feel this way as well. It's often said that we eat with our eyes, but since I've started blogging I've had to remind myself a few times that taste is still king.

I'm upset. I love SMBC, and made some Halloween cupcakes to share at work today. Half were topped with "regular" frosting (butter + powdered sugar), and the other half had SMBC. Imagine my horror to see blobs of SMBC in the trash, from co-workers scraping it off and throwing it away! Boo. They don't know what they're missing out on. :(

Ooooo so pretty! I love to torch things! I think flops are important, but I don't blog them. Instead I retest and put important points in my notes. I really try to follow one format as much as possible.

On the other hand, when people write a flop blog I tend to read it so I can learn something. So who knows? Maybe I'm just a hypocrite!

Hi Lauren! Thanks for your nice comments about my blog :). Normally, I would suggest you use a broiler, but with very temperature-sensitive buttercream, that wouldn't work here. The only other alternative I can think of is that I've read about a method to heat a metal spoon on a burner (wearing heatproof mitts of course), then to use the back of a large silver spoon to caramelize the sugar. I've never tried this and can't vouch for its success. I've also read that this will turn your spoon dark so please don't use your nice silver 8). Hope this helps. I honestly would recommend buying a torch, as it's the most effective, fun to use, and versatile for lots of recipes.